EU set to continue support to Albania

TIRANA, Jan. 05 – The European Union extended its special trade preferences regime for Albania and other Western Balkan countries until the end of 2015. That means that Croatia (soon a member of the bloc), Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia will have exceptional autonomous trade preferences. Albania will therefore continue to benefit from an unlimited duty-free access to the EU market for nearly all products. Together with the bilateral Stabilization and Association Agreements (SAAs), these trade preferences support economic integration with the EU and hence foster political stability and economic progress in the entire region. The autonomous trade preferences are more beneficial than the treatment foreseen in the SAAs.
Only wine, sugar, certain beef products and certain fisheries products enter the EU under preferential tariff quotas, as negotiated under the SAAs. The regime was renewed in 2005, and due to expire on 31 December 2010. The European Parliament voted in favor of the Commission’s proposal on 13 October 2011 and the Council adopted it on 24 November 2011. The tariff reductions under the new Regulation amending Council Regulation are applied retroactively to allow exporters to claim compensation for the duties paid in 2011.
Albania’s trade with the EU countries was 67.3 percent in November last year. The main trade partners remain Italy and Greece. With Italy the export is 59.3 percent and the import 29.9 percent, while with Greece the export is 5.9 percent and the import 10.3 percent.
That is good news on the trade relations with the European Union, in which Albania has also applied for the candidate status. It has, until now, got two negative responses from Brussels and the political deadlock has been the main cause for that.
It is clear that Albania, that is, its politicians, should really think and act in line with the European standards, if they want to become its member one day.
There is much talk during the recent weeks that the country could likely have a positive answer to its requests this year, notably in October with the annual progress report.
But the Democratic Party-led government of Prime Minister Sali Berisha and the Socialist-led opposition have done little so far to fulfill 12 recommendations.
And what is more important they have so far not reached anything on the political compromise, which is their hardest and most difficult obstacle to surpass.